This is a series of lessons learned in my nine years as a Passion Catalyst.
During the financial meltdown of 2008, I went through several months when my business disappeared. I was literally self-unemployed. Not only did I have no revenue coming in, the horizon looked devoid of income as well.
The stress built and built as I continued to bang my head against the wall, trying to make something happen.
BANG!
nothing
BANG! BANG! BANG!
more nothing
Finally, one morning in December I threw up my hands and said, "I give up! I can't do this. I can't make this happen. I don't have what it takes."
That lasted till mid-afternoon.
Despite my best intentions, I just couldn't bring myself to quit. What I felt (and feel) called to do and the difference I felt called to make was just too powerful. It was like the universe came along, grabbed me by the scruff of the neck, picked me up and said, "Sorry pal. You don't get to quit." And so I didn't.
I would love to be able to say that the story has one of those magical endings where as soon as I decided not to quit everything aligned in my favor and the floodgates of prosperity opened. In reality I struggled for several more months. But despite the lack of a Hollywood ending, the important thing was that I opted to stick with it.
In retrospect, that experience felt like a watershed for me. I can guarantee you that, if it had only been a case of, "I want to do this work because it's so much fun," there's no way I would have stuck it out. No way in hell. But because I felt such a powerful call to the difference I have the potential to make with this work, I almost felt like I had no choice but to figure out a way to stay with it.
I'm not suggesting that everyone will go through the kind of challenging time I did, or even that they need to be as obstinate as I was in refusing to yield to the smackdown I was getting (in fact, I really wouldn't recommend it). But at some point, you're going to hit bumps and you're going to get bruises. And if you are working towards something that really matters to you, it will be infinitely easier to maintain your momentum in the face of those challenges.
Meaning is a powerful motivator.
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by Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst
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